Fresno police foil murder-for-hire plot by local businessman

FRESNO – A Fresno businessman was arrested earlier this week on suspicion of trying to set up the murder of a prominent real estate agent, police said.

Fresno police Chief Jerry Dyer announced on Wednesday that Daljit Singh, 42, had been arrested on Monday after a two-month investigation into his alleged plot to have his former business partner killed.

Singh, who also uses the name Danny Multani, owns two businesses – Multani Towing and Limos by Multani – in Fresno near Roeding Park.

According to police, Singh met with a confidential police informant several times over the past couple of months, conspiring to bring harm to 43-year-old Rama Dawar of Fresno.

“The conversation evolved into Daljit Singh seeking the confidential informant to kill the victim in this case,” Dyer said.

Singh and Dawar, a Fresno City Planning Commissioner, were once business partners, but they had a falling out. There was a lawsuit in which Dawar won and was awarded an unspecified dollar amount.

“We strongly suspect that is the motive,” Dyer said.

According to Dyer, Singh made a down payment to the informant for the purpose of killing Dawar.

“Mr. Singh also provided a firearm – a handgun – to the confidential informant and wanted him to use that handgun for the purpose of killing Mr. Dawar,” Dyer said.

The handgun has since been traced to a burglary in Coarsegold last July, Dyer said.

Singh wanted the confidential informant to find a gunman to kill Dawar. He wanted the murder to be carried out last weekend, according to Dyer.

Singh is being held at the Fresno County jail with bail set at just over $1 million.